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If you've yet to try it, Torchlight is a decent way to while away the holiday hours this week. A frequentflyer in our 2009 Best of the Rests, Runic's loot-heavy action-RPG is free until Sunday, November 30 on Perfect World's Arc client, and that's for keeps. If you don't have Arc then it's another PC client to clutter up your desktop, but on the flipside... free game.

While you're at it, keep the Torchlight on inside the birdhouse in your soul. In other, less obscurely referential words, you can also get the deeper, multiplayer-enhanced Torchlight 2 at a cut-down price. It's reduced from $20 to $5 on Arc, again until November 30.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>arcpcperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentrunicrunic-gamestorchlightTorchlight-2Wed, 26 Nov 2014 06:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/10/joystiq-live-at-sonys-gdc-2010-press-conference/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/10/joystiq-live-at-sonys-gdc-2010-press-conference/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/10/joystiq-live-at-sonys-gdc-2010-press-conference/#comments
It's an awfully nice gesture of Sony to invite us to its GDC 2010 press conference -- and it's one where we expect to see some equally nice gestures. That's a Motion Controller joke, folks. Check back by 4:00PM PST (7PM EST) to catch our full and irritatingly detailed liveblog!

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>arcgdc-2010moveplaystation-motion-controllersonyWed, 10 Mar 2010 19:42:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/10/sony-trademarks-playstation-move-in-europe/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/10/sony-trademarks-playstation-move-in-europe/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/10/sony-trademarks-playstation-move-in-europe/#commentsAnother candidate has been added to the list of potential names for Sony's motion controller. Yesterday, Sony filed a European trademark, for use with a control device, for "PlayStation Move." It sounds fitting for a motion controller! (It's application number 008936544 in the European trademark database, if you'd like to see it in its native habitat.)

In addition to that trademark, NeoGAFfer gofreak found another trademark for the logo seen here, which looks more like an A for Arc than an M for Move. We have yet to verify the image ourselves in the trademark database, however.

In any case, we're likely to find out more about whatever this thing is called during GDC.

Konami has filed a Japanese trademark for something called "Gradius Arc." The "Gradius" part is easy enough to parse -- Konami's long-running series of horizontal shooters, last seen in the form of WiiWare's Gradius ReBirth -- but the "Arc" leads us to one particularly fanciful hypothesis.

"Arc" happens to be the frontrunner among rumored names for the PlayStation Motion Controller, having been mentioned by severaldevelopers and even trademarked by Sony. Could this be the first evidence of a motion-controlled Gradius game?

However, we shouldn't jump to (horrifying) conclusions based on the presence of a common word that happens to coincide with what a controller might be called. "Arc" could just be a subtitle for a Gradius game that you play with a controller like a sensible person.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>arcgradiusgradius-arcjapankonamiplaystation-arcshmupshootertrademarkWed, 03 Mar 2010 01:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/02/playstation-arc-trademarked-in-japan/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/02/playstation-arc-trademarked-in-japan/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/02/playstation-arc-trademarked-in-japan/#comments
Another round of evidence suggesting that Sony will call its ball-and-stick thingamabob "PlayStation Arc": A Japanese trademark for the name has been spotted by Siliconera. The "Arc" name has seen rumored since the beginning of the year -- and has been dropped by execs like THQ boss Brian Farrell.

Regardless of how you feel about the name, we think we can all agree it's a step up from the informative but decidedly boring "Sony Motion Controller." So, on to the GDC panel then?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>arcjapanmotion-controllerplaystation-arcplaystation-motion-controllertrademarkTue, 02 Mar 2010 12:40:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/23/sonys-dyer-predicts-more-games-for-playstation-motion-controlle/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/23/sonys-dyer-predicts-more-games-for-playstation-motion-controlle/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/23/sonys-dyer-predicts-more-games-for-playstation-motion-controlle/#comments
SCEA's Senior VP of Publisher Relations, Kevin Butler Rob Dyer, has some pretty lofty expectations for the still-unnamed PlayStation Motion Controller. Set for release this Fall, it must not only compete against the Wii, but Microsoft's controller-free foray into motion gaming, Project Natal. Dyer obviously believes that Sony's offering has an edge, and expects more games to take advantage of the controller: "My feeling is that we're going to have a lot more games, a lot more innovation," he told IndustryGamers.

"It's easier to develop for," Dyer explained. "You can use the same code base that you currently use for PS3 or 360 or even the Wii in order to get a motion controller game out. You can't do that with Natal." While Microsoft treads new territory with its Project Natal offering, Sony's motion controller does seem to play it safe, offering an experience not unlike the one offered by Nintendo. Last year, Resident Evil 5's Jun Takeuchi commented about the theoretical ease of porting Wii games to the PS3, a trait that should expedite the number of games available on Sony's platform.

Even the announced offerings have played it safe for now, with familiar titles like LittleBigPlanet and the aforementioned Resident Evil 5 representing a large majority of the Motion Controller's upcoming library. However, while Dyer may tout a larger library of titles, gamers are likely to be disappointed if Sony's line-up is little more than "Wii games in HD" and "old games with tacked-on motion controls." Perhaps Sony's upcoming GDC presentation will assuage some of our concerns.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>arcmotion-controlplaystation-motion-controllerrob-dyersceasonySony-Computer-Entertainment-AmericasphereTue, 23 Feb 2010 11:03:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/18/disney-wont-rule-out-epic-mickey-on-360-ps3/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/18/disney-wont-rule-out-epic-mickey-on-360-ps3/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/18/disney-wont-rule-out-epic-mickey-on-360-ps3/#comments
When Warren Spector's first Junction Point Studios title, Disney Epic Mickey, was revealed, many gamers were miffed to learn that the game was exclusive to the Wii -- especially after being inundated with some spectacular concept art for the game. It looks like there is still some hope that the game will hit the Xbox 360 and PS3, according to Disney's Graham Hopper.

Hopper tells Gamasutra that one of the game's core concepts is its "ink and paint mechanic", making it ideal for the Wii. However, now that both Xbox 360 and PS3 will soon support motioncontrols of their own, things might be different. "If we started it 6 months ago we would have potentially thought differently about it," said Hopper. He noted that Disney has "a very large audience base that has Wiis in their home" but that the company isn't ruling out the possibility of a future port to other platforms.

Making all of this a bit stranger, as Joystiq readers will recall, is that Epic Mickey actually started out as a project for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. The game switched to Wii development in 2008 when Disney raised the possibility of a port. At the time, Spector told the company that many of the design ideas wouldn't work on the console, noting that a Wii version would have to "be its own game." Disney apparently agreed, deciding to make the game Wii exclusive. Here we are two years later, and the game just might come full circle.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>arcdisney-epic-mickeyepic-mickeyjunction-point-studiosMicrosoftnatalNintendoplaystation-motion-controllerproject-natalWiiXbox-360Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:20:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/08/peter-moore-excited-about-playstation-arc-unsure-about-onlive/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/08/peter-moore-excited-about-playstation-arc-unsure-about-onlive/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/08/peter-moore-excited-about-playstation-arc-unsure-about-onlive/#comments
In a time-honored Peter Moore tradition, the EA Sports head recently opened up for an interview on a variety of subjects in the game industry. This time, the oft fake-tattooed gentleman exposited on the future of OnLive and his company's investment in the upcoming PlayStation Motion Controller (supposedly named "Arc"). "I don't know about OnLive," Moore told CVG, responding to the question of whether or not the cloud gaming service will become the "iTunes of gaming." He does, however, see opportunity in burgeoning distribution and pricing methods. "If a consumer's got five bucks to spend on some cool DLC; if they love Tiger Woods but want to be able to play online and invest $10 or $15 over a period of time ... those are the things we need to look at."

As far as his interest in the "Arc" goes, he says that he's seen the hardware in action and thinks it'll be a "great complement to what's out there." He directly points out its distinction from the Wii's motion controller and reconfirms EA Sports' development of games with Sony motion in mind -- he even names tennis and golf as prime contenders as each sport lends to an "authentic sports motion" (at least with what he's seen on the Wii). Frankly, we're just about as excited as could be to finally show off our lacking sports skills as games based on sports creep closer to reality.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>arcdevelopmentdlceaea-sportsElectronic-Artsonlivepeter-mooreplaystation-motion-controlsony-motion-controllertiger-woodsMon, 08 Feb 2010 20:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/08/two-ea-sports-active-games-due-holiday-2010/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/08/two-ea-sports-active-games-due-holiday-2010/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/08/two-ea-sports-active-games-due-holiday-2010/#comments
Just before today's sure to be thrilling investor's call, EA released a fact sheet to the folks gearing up for the hour-plus finance-a-thon -- a fact sheet that revealed two "TBA" EA Sports Active games set for release on consoles in the third quarter of the company's fiscal 2011 (October 1 through December 31, 2010, in human being time).

We've yet to hear anything on a new EA Sports Active title for the Wii, though we did hear some rumblings at E3 last year that the franchise would be headed to Sony and Microsoft's respective motion-based outings. And considering the unannounced titles are set for release in line with the announced release of Microsoft's Project Natal, and perhaps just after the PlayStation Motion Controller, there's a good chance that these pending EA Sports Active releases are for those platforms -- maybe one for Natal and one PlayStation; or one for Natal and Playstation and one for Wii.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>arceaEA-SportsEA-Sports-ActiveEA-VancoverElectronic-ArtsElectronic-Arts-VancouverExerciseFitnessNintendoplaystation-arcplaystation-motion-controllerproject-natalq4-2010release-dateWiiMon, 08 Feb 2010 17:15:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/19/rumor-playstation-motion-controller-to-be-renamed-arc/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/19/rumor-playstation-motion-controller-to-be-renamed-arc/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/19/rumor-playstation-motion-controller-to-be-renamed-arc/#comments
According to an anonymous source speaking to VG247, the PlayStation Motion Controller will officially be called "Arc" by the time it launches. It was previously codenamed "Gem," with rumors also dubbing it "Sphere" at one stage. As expected, Sony declined to comment on the story.

You know what, Sony? Stop it. You may think you're building suspense here, but all you're doing is creating a lot of work for bloggers who'll have to go back and re-tag all these posts when you reveal the real name. Oh, don't you skulk away, Microsoft, we're including you on this too. If it's Natal, fine, if not, just pick something already. Both of you. Now. Choose.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>arcmotion-controlsplaystation-motion-controllerproject-natalsonysphereTue, 19 Jan 2010 11:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/12/check-out-hoshigami-remix/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/12/check-out-hoshigami-remix/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/12/check-out-hoshigami-remix/#commentsThe English version of Hoshigami Remix is well on the way to completion, as these new screens show.

The game's battle screens are looking very much like Final Fantasy Tactics, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The three difficulty settings should help out players who are new to the whole tactical RPG scene, whilst keeping veteran players happy.

We're promised around 50 hours of gameplay, with branching storylines and multiple endings to find. You'll also be able to trade items with your friends over wi-fi.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aksysaksys gamesAksysGamesarcarc system worksArcSystemWorksdshoshigamihoshigami remixHoshigamiRemixnintendonintendo dsNintendoDsplaystationruining blue earthRuiningBlueEartSat, 12 May 2007 12:25:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/25/gundam-0079-revealed-guilty-gear-xx-accent-core-announced/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/25/gundam-0079-revealed-guilty-gear-xx-accent-core-announced/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/25/gundam-0079-revealed-guilty-gear-xx-accent-core-announced/#commentsWe have yet to get the first Gundam game in the US, and BandaiNamco is already moving on to another one. Whereas SD Gundam SCAD Hammers used the pudgy lil' SD Gundam characters, this one is based on Gundam 0079, which is serious business. We've got a scan featuring the first images from the game after the break.

Also announced, but not yet shown, was a Wii version of Guilty Gear XX Accent Core-- this is apparently 2D Fighter Announcement Week. We're a little scared to see how a precise 2d fighting game will use the Wiimote, and we're hoping that we can skirt the issue with configurable Classic Controller functionality. At least until Hori gets around to releasing a wireless joystick.